Chapter 14 - ADRIAN WHITMORE
Whitmore Tower rose sixty-eight floors above the city.
At 11:57 p.m., Daniel stepped into the penthouse alone.
At least, that was what Adrian was supposed to believe.
Charles was in the elevator behind him with Marcus.
Officers waited six floors below.
Elena had fought Daniel about going.
He had refused.
Not because he wanted to control her.
Because Noah and Sophie needed one adult they trusted beside them.
Elena finally agreed.
But she had looked him in the eyes before he left.
“Bring Eli back.”
Daniel nodded.
“I will.”
“And if Adrian is their father…”
Daniel waited.
Elena’s voice became quiet.
“Don’t decide for me what that means.”
Daniel understood.
“I won’t.”
The elevator doors opened.
The penthouse was dark.
Only the city lights illuminated the room.
Daniel stepped inside.
“Adrian?”
A voice came from the balcony.
“You look like him.”
Daniel turned.
A man stood near the glass doors.
Tall.
Thin.
Dark hair streaked with gray.
A scar ran from his collar toward his jaw.
His resemblance to Daniel was unmistakable.
Not identical.
But enough.
“Adrian.”
The man smiled faintly.
“Little brother.”
Daniel felt a chill.
“Where is Eli?”
“Safe.”
“I want to see him.”
“You will.”
Adrian stepped into the light.
Daniel saw surgical scars visible beneath his open collar.
“You brought Charles?”
Daniel did not answer.
Adrian smiled.
“Of course you did.”
“You want him.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Adrian laughed quietly.
“Pick a reason.”
“He erased me.”
“He destroyed my mother.”
“He let doctors use my body.”
“He let Victor Laurent sell pieces of my life to laboratories.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“I didn’t know.”
“I know.”
That surprised him.
Adrian moved closer.
“That is why you’re alive.”
Daniel stared.
“Did you kill Samuel Reed?”
Adrian’s smile vanished.
“No.”
Daniel believed him.
Not because he trusted Adrian.
Because the response came too quickly and carried anger rather than fear.
“Vivienne said you did.”
“Vivienne says whatever keeps the room looking away from her.”
“Who killed him?”
Adrian looked toward the elevator.
“Ask your father.”
Daniel froze.
“Charles?”
Adrian nodded.
“No.”
“You still want him to have one line he won’t cross.”
Daniel said nothing.
Adrian continued.
“He crossed it.”
The private elevator chimed.
Charles stepped out.
Marcus behind him.
Adrian’s entire body changed.
The anger in his face was immediate.
Charles stared at his first son.
“Adrian.”
“Don’t.”
Charles stopped.
Adrian pointed toward the room.
“You stand there.”
Charles obeyed.
Daniel had never seen his father obey anyone.
Marcus moved slightly.
Adrian noticed.
“No weapons.”
Marcus raised both hands.
“I want Eli.”
Adrian looked at him.
“You love him.”
Marcus’s face tightened.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Adrian walked toward a side door.
He opened it.
Eli sat on a sofa.
Alive.
Unhurt.
Marcus almost collapsed.
“Dad!”
Eli ran.
Marcus caught him.
He held the boy so tightly Eli laughed and cried at once.
Daniel watched.
That was fatherhood.
Whatever DNA said.
Adrian watched too.
His expression softened.
Then Charles spoke.
“You had no right to take him.”
Adrian slowly turned.
“No right?”
He laughed.
“You created an industry out of taking children.”
Charles flinched.
“I made mistakes.”
Adrian crossed the room.
“You made systems.”
“You signed papers.”
“You paid doctors.”
“You buried reports.”
“Those are not mistakes.”
Charles looked down.
Adrian continued.
“Do you know what they called me in the clinic?”
Charles said nothing.
“Subject W-1.”
Daniel felt sick.
Adrian pointed at himself.
“I was eight.”
“Eight years old.”
“They drew blood every week.”
“They took marrow.”
“They tested tissue.”
“They told me it was treatment.”
Charles whispered.
“I didn’t know how far Victor went.”
Adrian screamed.
“You handed me to him!”
Eli flinched.
Marcus moved the boy behind him.
Adrian immediately lowered his voice.
He looked ashamed.
“Sorry.”
That small reaction told Daniel something.
Adrian did care about children.
Charles spoke.
“I was trying to save your life.”
Adrian stared.
“At what point did saving my life require stealing someone else’s?”
Charles had no answer.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Why Elena?”
Adrian looked at him.
“You already know.”
“No.”
“I know Victor used your genetic material.”
“My material.”
Adrian corrected him.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Adrian walked toward the window.
“Victor wanted to prove something.”
“What?”
“That Charles’s discarded son was genetically more valuable than the heir he kept.”
Daniel felt the cruelty.
Charles closed his eyes.
Adrian smiled bitterly.
“Victor hated him.”
“He wanted to show him the perfect Whitmore descendants came from me.”
Elena’s children.
Daniel asked quietly.
“Did you know?”
“No.”
“Not until Rachel found me.”
Daniel froze.
“Rachel knew you?”
Adrian nodded.
“She found me when Sophie was six months old.”
“Elena thinks Rachel died.”
“She did.”
“Were you there?”
Adrian’s face changed.
“Yes.”
Daniel’s heart raced.
“At the lake?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Adrian looked at Charles.
“Your father happened.”
Charles stepped forward.
“That is not fair.”
Adrian laughed.
“Fair?”
He looked at Daniel.
“Rachel had evidence.”
“She planned to give it to Reed.”
“She brought Sophie.”
“Margaret came too.”
“And Charles.”
Daniel listened.
“What about Vivienne?”
“Late.”
“Victor?”
“Watching from a distance.”
Daniel frowned.
“How do you know?”
“Because I saw him.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“Rachel confronted Charles.”
“She told him she would expose everything.”
“He tried to take the documents.”
“They fought.”
“Sophie saw part of it correctly.”
Daniel’s stomach tightened.
“Charles pushed Rachel?”
“No.”
Everyone froze.
Charles looked at Adrian.
Adrian continued.
“Margaret did.”
Daniel remembered Sophie’s accusation.
“Why?”
“Margaret thought Rachel would get Elena killed.”
“So she pushed her?”
“Not into the lake.”
Adrian shook his head.
“She pushed Rachel away from Charles.”
“Rachel slipped.”
“She struck her head on the dock.”
Elena’s sister.
Bleeding.
Terrified.
Daniel whispered.
“Then what?”
“Rachel was alive.”
Charles looked sick.
Adrian stared at him.
“Tell him.”
Charles’s voice broke.
“No.”
“Tell him.”
Daniel looked at his father.
“What did you do?”
Charles’s eyes filled.
“I panicked.”
“What did you do?”
“I thought Victor’s people were coming.”
Daniel felt dread.
Charles whispered.
“I moved her.”
“Where?”
“Into the boat.”
“Why?”
“To take her across the lake.”
“To a doctor.”
Adrian laughed bitterly.
“That was the story.”
Daniel turned.
“What actually happened?”
Adrian looked at Charles.
“Halfway across the lake, Rachel woke up.”
Charles closed his eyes.
“She fought him.”
Adrian continued.
“The boat turned.”
“Rachel fell overboard.”
Daniel stared at Charles.
“Did you save her?”
Silence.
“Dad.”
Charles began crying.
Daniel had never seen it before.
“I tried.”
Adrian’s voice was cold.
“No.”
“You watched.”
Charles shook his head.
“I froze.”
“And Rachel drowned.”
“Yes.”
Daniel stepped away.
Marcus stared at Charles with disgust.
“And Reed?”
Adrian looked at Marcus.
“Reed discovered Charles had moved the body.”
Marcus froze.
Charles whispered.
“Samuel was going to expose everything.”
Marcus’s face hardened.
“What did you do to him?”
Charles shook his head.
“I didn’t kill him.”
Adrian laughed.
“No.”
“You only called Victor.”
Charles closed his eyes.
Marcus understood.
“You told Victor Reed knew.”
“Yes.”
“And Victor sent Anna.”
Charles said nothing.
Marcus’s face twisted.
“My wife.”
Adrian nodded.
“She confronted Reed.”
“And when he wouldn’t stop…”
Marcus’s breathing became ragged.
“She shot him.”
Silence.
Eli stood behind Marcus.
Thankfully too far away to hear clearly.
Daniel looked at Adrian.
“Why did you bring us here?”
Adrian walked to a safe.
He opened it.
Boxes filled the shelves.
Files.
Hard drives.
Photographs.
Medical records.
“This.”
Daniel stared.
“Everything?”
“Almost.”
“Why not go public?”
Adrian looked at Charles.
“Because I wanted him to see it first.”
Charles stared at the evidence of his life.
Adrian continued.
“I wanted him to understand that every grave he paid for still had a name.”
Daniel’s anger softened slightly.
Then Adrian reached deeper into the safe.
He removed a recent photograph.
Elena.
Walking Noah to the garden.
Daniel froze.
“You were watching her.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Years.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Why?”
Adrian looked at him.
“Because she is the mother of my children.”
Silence.
Daniel’s fists tightened.
“You knew?”
“Three years ago.”
“And you never told her.”
Adrian’s face hardened.
“I was trying to protect her.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“You sound exactly like Charles.”
Adrian froze.
The words hit.
Hard.
Daniel continued.
“You knew Elena believed Noah was dead.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Sophie existed.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Eli might be hers.”
“Yes.”
“And you watched.”
Adrian said nothing.
Daniel stepped closer.
“You are not different because your reasons hurt more.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
Then the penthouse lights went out.
Marcus immediately pulled Eli close.
Daniel heard glass break.
A woman screamed from the hallway.
Emergency lights activated.
The safe was empty.
Adrian stared.
“No.”
Daniel turned.
“What?”
Adrian ran to the open balcony doors.
A rope descended from the roof.
Someone had entered during the blackout.
The files were gone.
And on the floor lay one black envelope.
Adrian opened it.
Inside was a photograph of Elena.
Sleeping.
Taken that night.
Beneath it were six words.
May you like
YOU FOUND THE FATHER.
NOW LOSE THE MOTHER.
